[Photo: Forbes India]
With the recent NSA scandal, data has become a double-edged sword in people's lives. A lot are outraged at the U.S. Government's behavior and they have certainly lost a lot of credibility. That said, data is being created at a massive rate from social media, self-quantifying applications, e-mails, and other online activity that for the most part, can be only seen as positive.

Data flows through our world daily in enormous volumes that can tell a lot about someone. When you read an e-book, use online music streaming services, or use search engines, it can tell a lot about someone's character. Given that most people enjoy a collected analysis of their internet activity, recent government breaching of trust will have an effect how people consume the web. And not only in the United States did a 'Big Brother' Operation occur, but also in the UK and France as well. Doubt trickles down from governments to internet providers, and the safety of surfing the web has certainly been put in jeopardy.

A seventh of the world's population owns a smartphone. By 2017, there will be a 300% increase in data consumption on these devices. A staggering figure, by any means, and an insight into the demand for data creation and consumption in the future. Analyzing vast amounts of data will spread across a number of professions, and will allow for better transparency. What before took time to find specific data entries will be retrieved at a much faster rate. Tablet use will eventually surpass PC use and people will be creating data and having it analyzed more while on the go.

In sum, the future of data consumption and crunching is exciting and positive, but recent scandals over what governments meddling with people's private lives will ultimately lead to more precaution in allowing specific data to be analyzed. The way we will consume technology and data will vary enormously in the years to come, as we come closer to being the manufacturers of our own data destiny!